Conquerors of the Sky

In a story that spans the entire twentieth century, Conquerors of the Sky begins at a crucial moment in the history of flight - the death of aerospace giant Adrian Van Ness. Three men are forced to reflect on this monumental change and its effect on the lives of everyone the world over. At the beginning of the century, flight was seen as a spiritual ascent, and Frank Buchanan fell in love with planes. New York aristocrat Adrian Van Ness has a similar experience in England. The two men meet in the makeshift offices of Depression-battered Buchanan Aircraft in 1930, where Adrian's business genius and Frank's visions of ever-swifter, sleeker planes form a precarious alliance. Their partnership leads them into the thick of the corrupt connections between plane makers and politicians. As the heartbreak of seeing great planes scuttled by dirty political deals ruins one man's hopes, it allows the other to make a decision that will forever change him. From the clumsy, fabric covered planes of 1911 to the stealth fighters of today, Conquerors Of The Sky is the superbly told story of the struggle to bring a vessel to the air, and of the people who were forced to fall as a result.

About the Author :
Thomas Fleming is the author of more than 40 books of fiction and history. He was born in Jersey City, N.J., the son of a powerful local politician, who gave him a lifelong interest in politics and history. He is the only writer in the seventy year history of the Book of the Month Club to win main selections in both fiction and nonfiction. His 1981 novel, "The Officers' Wives," won international acclaim, selling more than 2,000,000 copies." Liberty! The American Revolution" was listed as one of the eight best books of 1997 by the History Book Club. Fleming has made the Revolution his special field. Three of his books have won best-book-of-the-year citations from the American Revolution Round Table of New York. He has also demonstrated a sweeping grasp of the entire course of American history in West Point: "The Men and Times of the U.S. Military Academy, The New Dealers' War" and other books. Fleming is a senior scholar on the board of the National Center for the American Revolution. He is also a fellow of the Society of American Historians. He often appears as a commentator on PBS, the History Channel and A&E. He lives in New York.

Review :
"I don't read Thomas Fleming just to learn about American history. I read Thomas Fleming because I want to smell what the Americans in that time smelt, to see as our ancestors' saw, and most important to feel every emotion, every thought, and every moment that the people of our country felt."-W. E. B. Griffin, New York Times bestselling author of the Brotherhood of War series "Thomas Fleming is one of my favorite writers because he combines powerful storytelling with the skills of a superb historian."-John Jakes, New York Times bestselling author of North and South "Fleming's in-depth knowledge of period and culture, his ability to separate the myth from the reality, both help you discover the very essence of what it means to be an American."-Margaret Truman, New York Times bestselling author of the Capital Crimes series